Brian Arcane and Amber Firefox
by Poketoa
Summary: A Pokemon fan and a girl who knows nothing about them are sent to the Pokemon World. Yes, their names were fire puns with meanings.  Forever unfinished. Preview for what's to come this year, may include spoilers. Mostly OCs, 3 chapters worth of writing


Before I begin, make sure you know that this will likely never be finished as I'd rather not write any sappy stories again and I really had little to no idea how I'd do it. Also know that there may be spoilers for the plot of this year's NaNo. You have been warned.

"Pokémon," "Pocket Monsters," and all related characters, locations, objects, and ideas thereof are properties of their respective owners. Pokémon, Pikachu and all other Pokémon characters are © 1995-2010 Nintendo, GAME FREAK and Creatures, Inc.

Pokémon: ?

Many years ago, there was a boy. A boy, who at the tender age of ten years old, set out on a fantastic journey in a world far-off from our own. This world he traveled was not ordinary, like ours, where humans lived with animals. The world he traveled and lived in was inhabited far and wide by powerful creatures known as Pokémon. These creatures could perform spectacular feats, such as moving at the speed of sound, summoning lightning, directly attacking their opponent's minds, walking through solid objects, creating spectacular meteor showers, causing localized earthquakes, and even altering time and space themselves. Each species of Pokémon was unique, and yet many Pokémon shared many similarities. Pokémon could also "evolve," or change into more powerful forms, in a manner similar to aging. An "evolved" Pokémon would generally be stronger than an unevolved Pokémon. The Pokémon themselves were classified by the humans of this world. The most basic of these classifications was known as a Pokémon's Type. Assigning a Type to a Pokémon was a way of seeing its strengths and weaknesses in battle. Pokémon battled other Pokémon in the wild to determine who was the strongest of them. Some humans began to work with Pokémon to help them become stronger. They became known as Pokémon Trainers, which eventually grew its own league where Trainers' Pokémon would battle each other. The leagues varied from region to region, each with its own set of Pokémon Gyms, where Trainers could challenge the Gym Leader. The Leader of a Gym, upon defeat, would give the winning Trainer a badge. If a trainer collected enough badges from Gym Leaders, they would qualify to participate in the main tournament of that league. The winner of the tournament would be declared a Pokémon Champion, and would be considered the best Trainer in the League. The Pokémon and their trainers were happy together. However, because of the powerful nature of Pokémon, criminal organizations also formed to illegally obtain Pokémon from theft. These organizations believed that all Pokémon were for their own glory, and exploited them for their own personal gains. Many Trainers worked to stop these organizations, and even now, most are defeated by Champions. The boy in question was given his first Pokémon when he was ten years, ten months, and ten days old. And so he set off to live a Trainer's life. He eventually became a very powerful Pokémon Trainer indeed. This trainer had everything he could possibly ever want: lifetime friends, good times, and the sharp mind of a master Trainer. However, one thing had gone unnoticed. Where was his father, who had left on a similar journey many years ago? No one really knew for sure. Some said he was killed by a criminal organization. Others say he ran away as a failure. But others say something entirely different happened – something that would involve millions of lives on an entirely different world…

-  
>Park Center Ave – Residence of Tangi, Elysia, and Isolde…<p>

Early one morning, a girl around 17 years of age awoke. It was still dark, and it was raining outside. Thunder rumbled softly in the distance. As she slowly rose, she suddenly jumped up as a flash of lightning illuminated her golden hair and fair skin. After recovering from the shock of being awoken by the storm, she slowly got out of bed to get ready for school. She headed downstairs, and took a look outside the window. _This storm is pretty bad,_ she thought. _Maybe I should stay home…_

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the world again, with an all-piercing clap of thunder that rolled on as Tangi stood aghast. There; lying in clear view of her wide, blue eyes; was a boy close to her age. She was unable to speak for a moment, and then let out a horribly loud scream. Her dog began to bark outside as her whole family awoke immediately to the noise. Her sisters rushed downstairs into the living room. Tangi just pointed. They saw the boy and they all ran outside to look. The rain was pouring down, and it was freezing cold outside. The boy was wearing only a tattered and slashed black T-shirt and torn blue jeans. The rain was turning his brown, matted hair to black as the water ran down his head. The girls quickly pulled him inside. Blood was all over the boy. "Someone call 911!" yelled Tangi.

Suddenly, the boy spoke. "NO! Don't…" He could only manage a few words. "They'll… find me…" He coughed, and managed to speak one last time before passing out again: "You must help me, no one else or they'll find me… and they'll come for you too…"

Tangi and her sisters laid the boy down on the couch. Elysia found a blanket and wrapped it around the cold boy, while Isolde started a warm fire and turned on the heater. Their mother went to get the first aid kit, while their father stayed to take a look at the boy. Elysia and Isolde went to help their mother. The boy's body was cut all over, and he was bleeding in several places. His face seemed very familiar to Tangi, and suddenly she came to abrupt realization: "KEVIN!"

"What?" Her father suddenly reacted to the sound of a boy's name. "You know this boy?"

"Yes. He's a friend of mine. That one guy who was by himself a lot."

"Oh, I see…"

"We have to help him!"

"He needs a doctor, I'll ca-"

"No! He said not to…"

"Who wouldn't want a doctor in his state?"

"He said that someone was after him, and if they found out we helped him, they'd be after us too. He said we could help."

"I know, but I don't want someone dying in my ho-

"Just do it! He'll be fine, he said so!"

Her father became silent. Finally, Tangi and her father moved the boy in front of the fireplace. The fire burned hot, and the warmth penetrated the room. The boy's face slowly began to relax, as if he had been fighting for his life, and the fire had saved him. Elysia brought the first aid kit to her father. "Here. I'm going back with Mom, she couldn't stand to see him." She got up and walked away.

"Here, take this and clean that gash across his chest." The huge tear in his shirt outlined the still bleeding cut. "I'll take care of his head."

As Tangi began to clean the cut, the boy's body reacted to the sudden sting of the antiseptic. Slowly, the slight chest spasms lessened as the slash started to get cleaner. Her father finished dressing Kevin's head, and then he left the boy, saying that was all he could think to do. Tangi stayed with him. After a while, the boy stirred slightly. "That… hurt…" he managed to mutter in his half-sleeping state.

"You've got a lot of slashes on you… I think you should stay asleep."

"No… it's alright…" slowly, Kevin's eyes fluttered open, and he saw who had found him. "Tangi… hi."

She laughed a little, partly at her relief to know he was still alive and partly because of the way most of their conversations went. They usually consisted of two or three exchanged "hi's," and ended with little else to say or do. After that, they just hung around until someone else came over, and then one of them would leave. They didn't really know each other well, but they were still friends. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I've been better… ARGH, that hurts…" She stopped applying the antiseptic, but he motioned for her to continue. "So… I guess I should tell you how I got here… You probably won't believe me though…"

"You need to rest. You're still weak from everything."

"Don't worry… I heal fast…" He tried to get up, then sank back onto the ground. "Or… not… Let me take a look at it…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… hold my head up to see…"

Tangi slowly lifted Kevin's head. A look of shock came over Kevin's dark brown eyes, which was quickly replaced by something a bit more proud. "Those Rockets sure got me good…"

"Rockets? What rockets?" she asked as she finished wrapping the wound.

"Ow- This is why I didn't think you would believe me… I saw something… Something big. Something that I shouldn't have. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yeah… No one should ever hurt my friends like this…"

"Alright… help me get to the couch over there…"

Tangi was surprised to see that Kevin could in fact get up and walk. Slowly, they made their way back to the couch, and she laid him down with a pillow to prop up his head. "So what do you mean, 'rockets?'"

"A criminal organization." Tangi was slightly taken aback by this, then listed to him continue. "They're… supposed to be fictional. Team Rocket… an organized criminal gang in the Pokémon series…"

"Pokémon? That's that cartoon, right?"

"Well, yeah, but the Rockets in that cartoon are nothing like the ones in the games…"

"Oh… Well, keep going…"

There was a rumble of thunder far off in the distance. "These guys… I saw someone in a Rocket uniform last week near my house… I thought they were joking. Then, as I came closer, I heard him talking about 'the other side,' and 'this world' and 'that world' being 'connected…' and then he saw me. He brought out a gun and tied me up… Then a truck appeared out of nowhere. There was a white light, and suddenly it was there. And then I saw… a Pokémon."

"You're still hurt, you do-"

"I told you you wouldn't believe me." She halted in her speech. "I knew you wouldn't."

"It's really hard to believe that, you're probably just still messed up from your fa-"

"I know what I saw…"

"What you saw is something you ima-" She stopped abruptly. Her gaze met a single leaf attached to his clothing. When she tried to pick it up, it cut her and she started bleeding. "Wha-"

"I told you. That's from a Pokémon's attack. They tortured me and left me in the woods… I dragged myself here, since it was the closest safe place I knew… And then I blacked out in front of your house…"

"Oh my… What can… This isn't even possible-"

"But there it is, a Razor Leaf."

Tangi was completely awestruck. "What…"

"This is bigger than just our world, Tangi. It's theirs too… They plan to take it over. Our world's technology is no match for Pokémon, and the Pokémon world is no match for our technology when used all at once…"

"They… plan on taking over the world?"

"Yes. Don't tell anyone, though. When I get better, I'll show you something. Everything has to move along quickly though. My parents are probably worried, but the Rockets would find out if I went back. You have to keep me hidden until I'm well enough to continue."

"…Alright…"

Tangi then finished her morning routine. She said her farewells to Kevin, and headed off to school. _You just got a lot more interesting, Kenneth Hakunetsu…_

Tangi spent the rest of the day at school worrying about what Kevin had said. He was now hiding in her home, and she had to keep it a secret, or possibly be killed. She was unable to think about much else for the time being. That lunch, she headed into the school's library to look into Pokemon, because she thought she should be as informed as possible. She didn't find much of what she was looking for on the Rockets, but she did find quite a few interesting facts. She wrote down in her notebook:

_Team Rocket… wants to dominate world… _

_17 types… each with strengths and weaknesses…_

_ Each Pokemon is unique…_

_ Pokemon have attacks of the same varying types…_

_ Pokemon are very powerful creatures because of their abilites…_

_ Pokemon are born in a weaker form than when they are fully mature…_

_ Some Pokemon evolve and become stronger…_

_ Some Pokemon are considered rare and legendary, and have powers befitting that status…_

_ Legendary Pokemon may have the ability to cause torrential downpours, cause heat waves, control elements, and warp time and space themselves…_

She realized she didn't like where this was going. _Bending time and space?_ she thought, _What have I gotten myself into?_

By the time she returned home, she was scared out of her wits. She had realized what kind of power that the Rockets had, and she and Kevin were the only ones who knew. She walked in her door, ready to speak to Kevin and ask him how he planned on facing something as powerful and as monumental as this. She was mortified at the fact that Kevin wasn't around. Then she noticed he had left a note. It read:

_Tangi, meet me at the corner of Tomato and Earl. I need to show you something. Bring people if you want, but it's probably better if you don't._

_~Kevin_

Tangi was very annoyed with Kevin at this point. Not only had he dragged her into a horrible mess involving creatures with powers beyond comprehension, he had the audacity to go and leave while he was supposed to be resting. She sighed, but decided to go along with what the note said, and began walking toward the corner of Tomato and Earl. Upon arriving a few minutes later, she didn't see Kevin anywhere. "Kevin! Where are you? I have a lot of questions for you!" She started getting scared a little. What if something had happened? What if those Rockets got to him? Suddenly, she saw something that made a chill run down her spine. A shady figure was walking down the road. He was wearing silver boots, gloves, and a belt. He was wearing a black cap, as well as black pants and a black shirt. On the front of the shirt, a red R was gleaming in the sunlight. She started to gasp, but a hand closed around her mouth from behind and pulled her from the side of the road into a bush. "SHH! You want him to hear you?"

"Kevin, what's going o-"

"Ask questions later. Things aren't going well here. This Rocket's been sent to find me, and he nearly caught you with me. Stay down, and follow me."

"What?"

"SHH!"

Tangi, now more scared than anything, nodded and began to follow Kevin into the woods. They stayed low through the undergrowth. Suddenly, John heard something. He laid flat, and pushed down Tangi to do the same. When they came back up, their faces were both covered in mud. Tangi was really mad now, but Kevin couldn't help but take it as a bit of humor, and her expression softened after a second as well. Tangi and Kevin continued crawling closer and closer to their destination. Suddenly, they had found it: a small, hidden cave, covered in moss. The area was surrounded by Rocket grunts. Kevin motioned for Tangi to follow him, then continued closer. After waiting for a guard to pass, they crawled slowly toward the cave and slipped inside. There was a bright, white light at the end of the cave. They continued toward it, Tangi grabbing Kevin's hand tightly. They emerged from the cave…

-  
>Pallet Field<br>-

Tangi suddenly felt herself falling. A wind began to blow all around. Suddenly, there was a bright white light. Suddenly, she found herself lying on her back next to Kevin, still grasping his hand tightly. "Kevin… where are we?"

"Tangi, welcome to the world of Pokémon."

The two stood up. They saw a beautiful, rolling field. In the far-off distance, a lone windmill on a hill spun lazily in the breeze. The sun was bright in the cool, tall grass. A wind whipped up, and it caused the grass to move in beautiful waves, creating a calming rustling all around. Tangi found the beauty of the field admirable, but then realized that there was no visible way back.

"The portal! How will we get home?"

"Don't worry, it'll all work out…"

"How can you say that! We're in a dangerous world filled with crazy monsters tha-"

"Tangi." He grabbed her head and paused for a second. "Just relax. I think I know where we are. Head toward that windmill and everything will be alright. Just trust me."

"How can I, if you're the reason I'm in this mess?"

"Because I know this place like the back of my hand. Trust me on this one."

She paused, looking into his eyes. "…Fine… Just… ugh…" She pushed away from him, and the two continued toward the windmill.

"Oh, one more thing, Tangi." Kevin halted. "It's probably a good idea to make fake names for ourselves. You know, in case the Rockets track me."

"That's possible! Why would you-" She sat down, realizing that now she had to fear for her life. She was angry at Kevin, angry at what he did, and just wanted to go home and forget this ever happened. Then Kevin spoke up.

"Do you realize what this is? It's… an opportunity. We're the only ones who can save two worlds from an evil mastermind! Just think abou-"

"I never asked to save the world! I can't! There's no way!"

"Tangi…"

And so they sat there for a while, Tangi trying to deal with the situation, and Kevin attempting to show her the good in it. Then Kevin gave up, and resorted to facts.

"Tangi… We don't know the way back right now, and even if we did, the Rockets would be waiting for us. You have to come with me for now, at least until you know what you're doing. I know someone who we can trust. He lives by that windmill. He can help us get started here, and set us up with everything to stay hidden until it's time to get rid of the Rockets."

"Kevin…" She stood up, a sharp look in her moistening eyes. "I'll go along with you." She regained her composure. "But only until I can get back home and help myself."

"Good… now follow me, I'll take you to Professor Oak's Lab. Come on!"

Kevin took off in a full sprint. Tangi, sighing, followed. _Was this really necessary, Kevin? I want to go home…_

-  
>Oak's Lab <p>

Professor Oak was one of the top Pokémon researchers in the world. He'd seen a lot in his day - legendary titans causing storms, invisible walls, writing that came to life – but _this_ was very odd to see in this town. A boy and a girl running toward him, the girl looking scared, the boy with a smile on his face, and in their teens without Pokémon. "Professor Oak, I need to speak to you," said the boy.

"And so we really need your help." Kevin and Tangi sat there in Oak's library, waiting from a response from the old professor.

"Well, I don't normally do this, but… I suppose I can give you each a Pokémon… There's nothing else to do, considering the circumstances. It's all very fascinating, but won't you need to hide from the Rockets?"

"Yes," replied Kevin, "that's why we're going to use fake names in this world."

"Ah, I see. Like what?"

"Tangi, what do you want to be called?"

"Uh…" Tangi was still getting used to the whole idea of this Pokémon world.

"Tangi, what are you going to name yourself?" repeated Kevin.

"… I don't know, something good… Like Amber, maybe?"

"Amber… Probably need a last name too." Kevin didn't hesitate to call her by her new code name of sorts.

"Amber Firefox."

"What? Why Firefox?"

"I don't know, it just sounds right after Amber."

"But why name yourself after an internet browser?" asked Kevin. Oak looked on, completely baffled.

"…"

"Whatever…

"And what's YOUR name going to be, Kevin?"

"… Well, people with similar names tend to travel together in places like this… I'll name myself Brian. Brian… Arcane."

"Interesting choices, you two," chimed in the Professor, "naming yourselves after Pokémon."

'Brian' just nodded while 'Amber' had a blank expression on her face. "It kind of feels natural somehow…" His expression suddenly changed. "Now, what's this about a couple of Nidoran?" asked Brian. "I'd like to have some Pokémon around if I can…"

"Ah, yes. They were bred specially as a pair of emergency starter Pokémon. Here you are." He handed Brian and Amber two Pokéballs. They both opened their Pokéballs. Out of Brian's Pokéball came a small, pink, mouse-like, yet reptilian Pokémon with spines on its back and a large, sharp horn on its head. Its truly defining feature, however, was its large ears, the inside of which were bluish-green in color. It's eyes were red and attentive to its surroundings. "Brian, you have a male Nidoran that was specially bred to have some tricks up its sleeve. However, it's kind of stubborn, and doesn't like using the techniques that require it to move too much…"

"Interesting. It's got some kind of special attacks then, right?" inquired Brian.

"Indeed. It can even use a Psychic technique."

"Confusion, then. Very well bred Nidoran, I must say."

Professor Oak was impressed by Brian's knowledge. He turned to Amber, who released her Pokémon. She had a blue Pokémon that wasn't entirely unlike Brian's. However, it had smaller spikes and ears. Its horn was also much smaller, but its whiskers were much larger. "Amber, I've given you a female Nidoran. It was also bred for special moves. However, it's kind of shy and doesn't like to battle much."

"I guess it can learn with me then, so it's alright, I guess..." Amber looked down at the red and white ball, still a bit shaken.

"I don't have much else but these Pokédexes and spare Pokéballs for new trainers… But given your situation, I think I can still help with one more thing. Come with me, we're going to see a friend of mine."

Professor Oak handed the newly "born" trainers their first Pokéballs and Pokédexes. Then the professor led the two out of the lab and took them down the road to a certain little house with a red roof, a white picket fence, and a garden out front. An odd-looking Pokémon was on the front porch, sweeping. It had thin arms and huge, glove covered hands. It looked like it had makeup on its face, and had blue hair stretching out from the sides of its head. Its body was white with a large red spot on its chest and back, Its shoulders and thighs were red as well. It also appeared to have elf-like blue shoes. It waved to Professor Oak.

"That's her Mr. Mime. He's kind of like the housecleaner." Professor Oak explained.

He knocked on the door. A few seconds later, a woman answered the door. She was of average height and proportions, with brown hair and eyes, "Oh, hi Professor Oak! What brings you he-" She noticed the two children, who were still a little beat up from hiding from the rockets. "OH! Who are these two?"

"My name is Brian, and this is Amber. We were… hiding from some bad guys."

"Oh dear! You two look like you've been through a lot!"

"Well, you could say that…"

"Well don't just stand there, come inside!"

Brian, Amber, and Oak came into the house. "What's your parents' phone numbers?" Amber looked down. Brian looked over at Oak, who nodded. And then he explained to Delia the entire situation.

"…And that's what happened."

Delia was very frightened by all of this. In fact, when she heard what Earth technology was capable of, she started to faint, and then caught herself. "How horrible…"

"And that's why we need to stay undercover here," said Brian.

"Brian here has the capacity to defeat the Rockets. He has a knowledge of this world that is even greater than my own," said Professor Oak. "His strategic thinking will make him a very good trainer. Besides, it's not unheard of for a trainer to beat back members of Team Rocket… I do remember one in particular, years ago, who was even able to force the Rockets' boss out of the Silph building…"

Brian smiled, a nostalgic look on his face. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine, right Amber?"

Amber just looked down. Brian's smile disappeared. "Well, we'd better get going…"

The two trainers received backpacks full of supplies from Delia. They went into the back to change. When they came out, Amber had on a light green sleeveless shirt and blue jeans. Over the shirt was an olive hoodie. Brian was wearing blue jeans as well, with a black shirt and a red hoodie with white along the pockets. He also wore a black hat with an image of a Mudkip.

As they stepped out, Oak shouted, "Be careful! And remember, a Pidgey in the hand is worth two in the bush!"

Brian would've laughed at the proverb no matter how serious it was, but he was too preoccupied with Amber's look. They continued in silence until they got far out of town. "Alright, something's definitely wrong here."

"I still really don't want to be here, Ke- Brian." She paused for a moment to regain herself. "Why would you think I wanted to be here anyway? Why come to me of all people?"

"I don't know… They left me closest to your house."

"I… just want to go home…"

"Amber… as much as I'd like to send you home… I have to keep you protected."

"What?"

"You know about this place, you know it exists. The Rockets will find you. As soon as I was left on the road near your house, I had no other choice."

"You… could've…" She stopped before finishing that sentence, realizing what she was about to say. She looked down again, and they were quiet for a while. The sound of rushing water was in the distance. They stopped before entering a forest.

"Amber… I think what you need is to see this world differently. I know a place here that might lighten your mood."

"I'm stuck here with you, nothing's going to lighten my mood."

"Oh, just follow me…"

Brian grabbed her hand and pulled her off the path. "Hey, Amber, watch this!" He ran, pulling her with him, then suddenly let go.

"Brian, wait up!" she cried after him, but she had no choice but to follow the other young trainer.

Suddenly, the forest gave way to a rushing river going over a sharp cliff. "Whoa!" Amber stopped abruptly. She looked around for Brian, but he was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he jumped out of the trees, wearing blue, Hawaiian-print swim trunks. "I know this river! It'll take us almost to the next town really quickly!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?"

"I know this place! Trust me, Amber; I'm the only way you're going to be alright here."

She was silent, but couldn't disagree with his logic. "Alright, fine. But if something happens, it's your fault." She silently walked off into the woods to change. She came back out in her swimsuit (A/N: I'm activating the fanservice-hater shield now), a green two-piece. She sighed as she put her backpack on, wondering how she even ended up meeting this random kid.

"What are we waiting for?" Brian grabbed Amber's hand. "Let's go!" He then proceeded to pull the poor, screaming girl over the edge of the waterfall. They both fell into the freezing cold water. (A/N: Fanservice shield is still acti- -blindsided by a tomato-)

When they surfaced, Amber was holding on to Brian for dear life through the rushing current. "This river takes us right to a lake where we can rest for a while! Just hold on for a couple minutes!"

"Why would you do this?"

"What?"

"I can barely swim as it is!"

"Just hold on! Besides, you should be more worried about the Gyarados!"

"The what!"

"A Pokemon that looks like a large sea serpent! It's carnivorous and about 20 feet long! It also has a bad temper!"

"WHAT!"

A large, dark, long shadow moved under them. "Yeah, that!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU IF WE LIVE!"

The Gyarados surfaced in front of them, revealing its large, blue, scaly form. Its jaws, eternally open to swallow its prey, were aimed directly at Brian and Amber.

"It's coming this way!"

"On the count of three, let go!"

"Wha-?"

"Three!" Brian pushed Amber away as the Gyarados shot right between them. It kept going in the same direction, probably after some food that happened to be headed upriver.

"I'm gonna kill you, Brian!" Amber yelled as she was swept down under the water by the current. Brian, in the meantime, was having the time of his life. He dove underwater and pulled her up. When they surfaced, she promptly slapped his face. They emerged in a beautiful, crystal-clear lake that stretched out for quite a while. Brian pulled Amber to the shore, which she happily dropped onto, panting. Brian took a few steps away and fell down as well, staring up at the sky and laughing. He closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing. Then he felt a sharp pain in his left side.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!"

"Wha-" He could see that she was genuinely angry, so he got up before she could kick him again. "I don't know, I-"

"You what? You want to live out your stupid fantasy or something? This is real life! We could've died! Don't you see that!" The look on her face slowly turned to one of fear, realizing what she had just said. She turned and walked away.

Brian ran after her and after unsuccessfully trying to speak to her, ran in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Look… I didn't mean to scare you."

"If you want me to trust you, do it some other way!"

"You lived, didn't you!"

"I nearly got eaten by some giant snake! You call that fun?"

"That Gyarados wasn't after us!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know this world!"

"You're not a hero, or a character, Brian!"

"I just…"

He paused for a moment, thinking of what to say next instead of letting the argument get to him. "I'm sorry," he finally said, I won't ever do that again. I shouldn't have done something like that so soon. I won't do it again unless it's absolutely necessary… I'm sorry…"

Amber glared at him angrily for a second, and then suddenly threw herself on him. "I just want to go home…"

"We both know we can't do that right now…"

Amber stayed like that for a few more moments, and then they both walked off silently in different directions to change again. Amber was just about finished when she heard a call. "Amber, come quick!" She rushed toward the origin of the sound, and was grabbed sideways by none other than Brian. He covered her mouth. "Shh! Don't let it hear you!"

A round, navy blue Pokemon with a white stomach that had a black swirl pattern as well as pink lips was using its large, lighter blue tail to swim in the lake not 20 feet from where the trainers were. Its small feet didn't seem to be doing anything. Amber glared at Brian angrily again, then looked off in the direction of the Pokemon. "It's a Poliwag. I know all about it, but you… Check your Pokedex."

Amber, now a bit more curious about this odd round creature, had nearly forgotten about her gift from Professor Oak. She pulled the Pokedex out of her backpack and aimed the scanner at the Pokemon. An image of a Poliwag appeared on the screen. Brian quickly pushed a button on the Pokedex that made it display the entry instead of reading it out.

_Poliwag: Tadpole Pokemon. Its legs are underdeveloped in this stage, and are therefore weak. It prefers to use its tail to swim. The direction of the swirl on its belly differs with the north and south hemispheres; however its evolved form, Poliwhirl, will always have the reverse of the direction in its evolved form. The markings on Poliwag's stomach are actually its insides showing through its thin skin. The skin is also flexible, as even sharp fangs will bounce off of it. The clarity of the swirl shows how recently the Poliwag has eaten. They are known to feed on Salveyo weed, which grows at the bottom of many clear lakes. The swirl can be used to mystify and hypnotize opponents. However, Poliwag is a shy breed of Water 1 Pokemon, and is more likely to run away if it spots a potential foe. Some Poliwag are known to absorb all Water-type attacks used on them. Others have been known to defuse exploding Electrode. In extremely rare cases, they move faster in rain. #60, Water, R-052, 0.6m (2'00"), 12.4kg (27.3lbs)._

The Pokedex also displayed an image of the Pokemon's footprint, as well as breeding ground information and an option to hear samples of some of its various cries. It even listed the Pokemon's name in various languages. "Nyoromo" was conspicuously displayed at the top of that list. Brian whispered, "I'm going to try and catch it. They're kind of rare, too…"

"Wait, Bri-"

But it was too late. Brian was already creeping down toward the water. He let his Nidoran out of its ball. The pink reptile was clearly annoyed by this. "Nidoran… it's time for your first battle." It suddenly snapped to attention. "We're after that Poliwag, and I need your skills to catch it. Think you can handle that?" he finished, essentially daring the headstrong Nidoran to battle. Nidoran silently nodded. "Alright, now concentrate… Try lifting it out of the water with Confusion. Ready… go!"

Brian and Nidoran broke out of the woods. The startled Nidoran tried to swim away, only finding itself flailing in midair, surrounded by a purple aura. "Nidoran, if you can, keep it there and try a Poison Sting!" Nidoran began gathering energy in its horn, but this was too much for it to handle, and the purple glow around the Poliwag faded. The Poliwag landed in the water. Seeing as it couldn't easily get away, it began to appear to spin the swirl on its chest. Nidoran couldn't help but look at it intently. "Nidoran, Poison Sting, hurry!" Nidoran barely had a chance to use Poison Sting before collapsing and falling asleep. The needles made contact with the Poliwag, not penetrating its elastic skin, but instead covering it with purple gunk that absorbed into its skin. The Poliwag shuddered and twitched slightly, feeling the effects of the poison. "Alright, then, you're mine…" Brian grabbed a Poke Ball off of his waist and threw it at the Poliwag. It bounced off of the shuddering round form and opened, a white light emitting from it. The ball began to shake slightly on the ground, wobbling back and forth. The red light on its front flashed and made a sound comparable to saliva moving through teeth. "Come on…" Brian stared in anticipation. The Poke Ball suddenly stopped shaking. The red light went out with a pinging sound, and a few sparks flew from the ball. Brian just stood there for a minute, in shock from pure nostalgia and joy. Suddenly, he threw his arms up in the air, much like boxers do when winning a match. "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He laughed, and then walked over to pick up his first capture: a Poliwag.

Meanwhile, Amber had seen the whole battle. "So… this is what this world is like…" She watched as Brian carefully picked up his sleeping Nidoran and stroked its head gently. He started walking back toward Amber, who now stood up. "Wow… so that's how you get more Pokemon?"

"Well, that's what they always used to say, 'Gotta catch 'em all.'" He laughed at his horrible conversation skills.

"That Poli-whatever is going to be alright?"

"Yeah, the Pokemon Center in the next town will help us take care of him."

"Ah… And Nidoran?"

"He'll… wake up pretty soon. Hypnosis by such a weak Pokemon doesn't last long, though sometimes it can still have odd effects on humans."

"…What?"

"Well, not just any Pokemon has that effect either when using Hypnosis…" They were walking down the road again now. By sunset, the trees had given way to another open field. "There it is!" Brian pointed down the road to a large, dome-shaped building. "That's Viridian City! Come on!" He grabbed her hand and started running.

"Wait! Brian!" She had no choice but to run with him. He'd really made her mad today, but somehow it had stopped bothering her. Maybe it was the way that he was holding that Nidoran of his, even though it was now awake. The Nidoran was muttering to itself, probably annoyed at how easily it was hypnotized and how it couldn't lift a 25-pound object with its mind. She was still kind of mad, but she felt an odd surge of happiness running that way. "Maybe you should put Nidoran back in its ball!" Brian stopped.

"Nidoran, do you want to go back in your ball for now?" Amber took careful note of how he actually asked Nidoran if it wanted to return to its ball. Nidoran let out a cry of affirmation. "Alright, come on." Brian returned Nidoran to its Poke Ball, then turned to Amber. "Well, let's go!" He started running without her this time.

"Brian! Wait up!" As Amber chased after him, she couldn't help but wonder what would be in store for them next as they continued their adventure. _Maybe,_ she thought, _this whole thing won't be so bad after all…_

The two trainers, tired from their first adventure, arrived in Viridian City and made their way toward the Pokemon Center. It was well beyond sunset now, and the city lights were all up, attempting to mirror the way the sky looks when the same lights are off. "Well, we're here. Follow me, we have to go to the reception desk."

(A/N: I am indeed using the old Nurse Joy style because the new one sucks.)

A woman in a nurse uniform with a gentle face, blue eyes, and red hair up in looped pigtails was at the counter. "Greetings! Welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Center! My name is Nurse Joy! Do your Pokemon need a rest?" Brian gave his Pokemon to the receptionist and motioned for Amber to do the same.

"Check hers out too, just in case. My Nidoran was hit with a Hypnosis from that Poliwag. Poliwag got poisoned during the battle by Nidoran's Poison Sting attack."

"Alright, just hand me some identification then, please…"

Brian pulled his Pokedex out of his pocket. Amber grabbed hers out of her backpack.

"Oh, you guys aren't registered for the Indigo League?"

Brian had a look of surprise on his face. _Darn you, Oak, you nearly blew our cover._ "We should be… Maybe we forgot to, but I'm sure we did it in the last town…"

"I'll go ahead and figure that out for you. Do you two need a room?"

Amber, looking tired as ever, nodded. Brian noted that she was smiling now, just slightly. "Yeah, looks like it."

"Alright, I'll set that up for you too."

Brian and Amber went over to the tables and ordered the free Trainer's dinner. As they were eating, Amber asked, "What's the Indig-" Brian looked at her with that look you give someone that needs to shut up. She took the hint. Brian reached down and pointed at his Pokedex, then at Amber. She took that hint too, and silently read information on the Indigo League in her Pokedex.

_The Indigo League is the name of the Pokemon League in Kanto. Scattered across Kanto are various "Pokemon Gyms," where strong trainers can be found. The head of the Gym, called the "Gym Leader," may be challenged by trainers in the league for a badge. Collecting eight badges from any eight Gyms in the league results in admittance to the Indigo Conference at the Indigo Plateau. This is a knockout tournament where the strongest trainers in the league gather. The winner of the tournament is crowned champion of the league. Many trainers have been known to try to make it to this tournament (and succeeded) in their first year. _

After reading the passage, Amber looked at him with an annoyed expression. "So you're dragging me into this now, too?" She got up quickly, half out of anger and half out of defeat. She walked slowly away from where Brian was sitting. Brian could only sit and watch as Amber walked toward the trainers' quarters with her plate.

Brian wasn't about to follow her in just yet. She was pretty mad at him. _Now what do I do…?_ He tried thinking of a few ways to apologize to her for everything, but in light of what was happening, he couldn't think of anything. He walked to a nearby couch and sat there for a while, just thinking. Until he fell asleep, he didn't stop thinking about what he would say in the morning.

"Brian… Brian, wake up…" Brian's face twitched slightly at the familiar voice. "Brian... Get up…" Brian cracked an eye open slightly. Seeing Amber standing over him was a bit of a shock to him, and he fell off the bed. _Wait, bed…?_

As Brian came to his senses, he noticed green walls, a few windows, and a lot more beds. Some of them were still occupied. Then he realized he was in the trainers' quarters. His first sentence was "How'd I get here?"

"I came back out to see if you were coming, and you were asleep on the couch. I was going to leave you there, but I decided to have one of those nice pink things-"

"Chansey…"

"Yes, Chansey, to help me get you into here. You were really out of it."

"What made you decide to help me in here?"

"You were disturbing the whole center. It was an act of _public service,_" came the sarcastic reply.

Brian laughed slightly at himself. Then he stood up and stretched. Sunlight filtered through the windows. It was altogether a peaceful morning. "So, did you have breakfast yet?"

"Yeah."

_One sentence? Heh._ "Well, guess I'll go get some then."

Brian looked over the decidedly green room. The walls were a dark, piney green, the pictures hanging on the wall were of rivers and forests, and the floor was green and white checkered tile. He walked out and got some free food. _Ugh, oatmeal. Why'd it have to be oatmeal…?_ He finished it rather reluctantly, then got up and found Amber.

Amber and Brian picked up their Pokémon. Brian's Poliwag was rather happy to see his new trainer. Nidoran, on the other hand, was ignorant as usual. Amber's Nidoran jumped into her arms on sight. Amber, nearly knocked over by the friendly tackle, staggered back and laughed at the small Pokémon in her arms. They returned the Pokémon to their balls, then walked to the nearest Trainer's Market.

"Hey, Amber, about last night…"

"I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you."

"Alright."

The shelves in the Trainer's Market were lined with Pokémon merchandise. Brian took some time to admire that fact, since the game designers had actually gotten that weak description correct. He used some of the money they'd gotten from Professor Oak to buy some Antidotes and Potions. Brian then quickly looked up some things in his Pokédex. After returning to Amber, she looked at him, confused. He told her not to worry about it and that he'd tell her later. They walked north of the city. As the number of trees increased, they approached a large, grey building. Posted on a sign was "Viridian Forest Check-in." A Pidgey roosted on the sign.

"So this is where we need to go next?" asked Amber.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." Without another word, Brian and Amber entered the building. There was a woman at the building's reception counter. Brian asked her what they needed to do.

"We're doing this now to prevent new trainers such as you from getting lost in places that they travel. If they're gone for too long, we send a search party in after them. Of course, that never seems to happen much. Older trainers, on the other hand, usually know the Pokémon of the region and are able to take care of themselves."

"Oh, well alright…" Brian shrugged. "Guess that helps."

Amber and Brian went through the other end of the building and started on the trail through the Viridian Forest. The forest was densely wooded on either side of the path, with bushes and shrubs all around. There was a slight breeze that made the leaves rustle with a peaceful sound; a soft swishing that soothed even the most restless of spirits. Brian and Amber continued on through the woods, not saying much to each other. They didn't have much to talk about at the moment, and neither wanted to start a conversation that could lead to another argument. After a few hours of walking, Brian finally spoke.

"You know, it might be a good idea to train our Pokémon while we're out here."

Amber jumped slightly from the sudden disturbance of the awkward silence. "Like… what do you mean?"

"Oh, training Pokémon. Haha, we're supposed to be trainers and I never even told you how it works." Brian put a hand to his face, slightly embarrassed of his obvious failure. "Alright, you remember what the Pokémon League is from the Pokédex entry, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well to be able to compete in any of the Pokémon League's regional tournaments, you need to earn eight gym badges."

"Right, I know that."

"So our Pokémon right now don't have much experience in battling yet. If we go to the next town like this, we'll stand out way too much as a couple of really dumb, shady trainers. If that doesn't arouse suspicion, I don't know what will."

"And good, shady trainers is better?"

"Well, there's quite a few of those. Heh."

"So what do we do then?"

"Well, I know my Poliwag should be able to take on the first leader we'll meet already. The gym leader there uses rock types. It's got a couple water attacks."

"Yeah…?"

"So it's probably a good idea to train the Nidorans first."

Amber grabbed her Nidoran's Pokéball. "Then…"

Brian, not going to waste an opportunity to look like an idiot, turned his Mudkip hat around and threw his Pokéball with a loud, "GO, NIDORAN!"

Amber was surprised at the sudden outburst. "Do I have to do that too?"

Brian, laughing, replied "No, I've just always wanted to do that."

Amber looked at him, annoyed. "Well you looked pretty stupid to me."

Nidoran looked away from its trainer in embarrassment.

"So, send yours out too." Amber stood there, staring at the Pokeball in her hand. "… Don't tell me you don't even know how to do this…?" She shook her head. "Just throw it, the impact opens the ball, and it returns to your hand."

"How does that work?"

"I don't know, they have different technology than us, just do it…"

Amber, unsure what to do, finally threw the Pokeball at the ground. It popped open, revealing a white form that faded into her Nidoran. The Pokémon blinked a few times. As Amber leaned over to greet her Pokemon, the Pokeball rammed into her head. Brian tried to cover his mouth, but it ultimately failed as he busted out laughing. His Nidoran, relieved that his trainer wasn't a total idiot, sighed as the trainers started arguing over the situation. After a few minutes of settling down, they both started laughing about it.

"I've never seen that happen on anything but a capture…"

Amber, rubbing her forehead slightly, changed the subject. "Can we get back to training? I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing…"

"Well, first of all, let's find out." Brian pulled out his Pokédex and scanned his Nidoran.

_ This Pokémon is capable of learning Double Kick._

"Amber, you check too."

Amber pulled out her Pokédex and scanned her Nidoran.

_This Pokémon is capable of learning Double Kick._

"How come mine sounds different than yours?"

"It must be the female voice program they can add in. Either way, they both can learn Double Kick." Brian flipped through the Pokédex and found an animation of a Nidoran's Double Kick. Apparently, it involved a lot of flipping to add momentum to the small Pokémon's attack. "Alright…" He turned to his Nidoran. "Nidoran, looks like you can learn a new attack. Can you try flipping for m-"

Nidoran jumped up, flipped, and kicked Brian in the face. He blinked, then fell to the ground. "Yeah… I think he can…"

"That's all it takes? Nidoran, you want to try?"

Amber's Nidoran looked unsure, then nodded, determined to learn the move. It charged at the nearest tree, never taking its eyes off of it – until it ran _into_ the tree, of course.


End file.
